A Cardano block is a collection of transactions that are grouped together and verified as a unit. It's similar to a page in a ledger. Each block contains a hash, which is a unique cryptographic code that identifies the block and its contents. Once a block is created, it's added to the blockchain, which is a public, distributed database. This process is known as block production. The creation of new blocks is carried out by staking pools, which are groups of individuals who contribute their ADA to secure the network. Blocks play a crucial role in the Cardano network by recording transactions, ensuring security, and providing a historical record.
Block 8240682 Details
Epoch: 386 Number of transactions in block: 22 slot_no: 81546992 epoch_slot_no: 158192 block_no: 8240505 slot_leader_id: 6447359 size: 78317 time: 2023-01-07 17:41:23 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x84c1092ef885ff72839e83948541f789b956ad36ccf95d0617f157ee64fc33f8Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1ufkxe2rwywsmmks6ldvqu6yw6efxz08spz5mv39f6ve9w7ss447qn23fsm op_cert: \xdf31f1c59b99236058b4f314b1642d70b61a605f62192ab88a226563eb1c3701 op_cert_counter: 8